Category: Books, TV & Music

Less news, more color

A long time ago on a planet far, far away, I used to read a daily newspaper and then, you know, go off to live life. Isn’t that quaint? Then CNN came along – because the first one’s free, and I gradually became an instant news junkie.

Whenever I could get near a computer or phone, there I was checking the headlines, getting a fix from the church of what’s happening now. I considered myself a high-functioning addict and didn’t want to change a thing until the political stuff started messing with my head.

I wanted moderation not abstinence, so I fashioned myself a little rehab. In the morning, I read the local newspaper. It’s OK, but even sports scores aren’t current, so I allow myself to check a major news source once or twice a day just to see if anything big happened or, um, well, if someone in the limelight may have succumbed to an untimely passing.

While I never thought my attention span was compromised, I got used to the quick jolts, which really are just a distraction, and now I seem to be getting better at focusing on the moment. In some ways, it’s like switching from black and white to color.

For example, I’m paying more attention to simple sightings, like the color of the trees when I walk. The birds. The dogs and those who walk them. I procrastinate less when there are chores on the docket, because I refuse to sit around reading that stuff like I used to.

Not that I don’t dabble. I started to create a category for Krazy Kabinet Pick of the Week, but there were too many to choose from. We’ve talked about the stages of grief, and I think we forgot the one where you just laugh. Because, seriously, I choose not to be angry all the time, and I’m out of other options.

What I’m Reading

You know I love my crime fiction, but with this refreshed brain of mine, I thought it might be good to explore nonfiction. I went to the library and right there in the newly arrived section discovered Find More Birds by Heather Wolf. I was already noticing more birds, so it seemed like divine intervention.

What a great little book, which includes gorgeous photographs taken by the author. She offers 111 tips for spotting birds wherever you are and without necessarily becoming a serious birdwatcher.

Not that I might not go that route, but the book inspired me to take baby steps. Of course, I wait until December, when most of the birds that pass through our backyard have already moved on, but I’m not a quitter.

What I’m watching

As it happens, only the first episode of Van der Valk was super-gruesome. I’m on season 2, and it’s getting better all the time. I’m sort of loving these international crime dramas and now, thanks to your most excellent suggestions, I have a bunch more in my queue.

Mid-December also brings new episodes of All Creatures Great and Small. One of my golf buddies suggested this show, and I thought, oh, so not me. And it isn’t … but I love it nonetheless.

Dale recorded the Ken Burns documentary on Leonardo da Vinci. This is another one that would not normally be my thing, but you can’t go wrong with Ken Burns. Plus, Dale has a low tolerance for TV, so at least it’s something we might both enjoy.

What I’m eating

Our Thanksgiving feast was fab. The pumpkin cheesecake was pointing a gun to my head, so he’s in the freezer, experiencing the joys of timeout. In terms of leftovers, so far we’ve had cold turkey sandwiches, then a break for Dale’s homemade pizza with mushrooms, hot Italian sausage, fresh jalapeños and green olives.

Tonight is hot turkey sandwiches on toasted sourdough bread. The gravy was particularly good this year, so that should be delicious. I’m actually a gravy convert. My mother was not a good cook, so everything came out of a package. I didn’t taste the real thing until I met Dale, and I would say it was all over, but he already had me at roast duckling  à l’orange.

Today is when he breaks down the turkey. One whole breast will go in the freezer. He saves the carcass for stock, which I’m going to make in the slow cooker this year. But just the stock … I’ll make the soup itself on the cooktop. We have been enjoying Jane Brody’s turkey carcass soup recipe for many years.

I pulled out Jane’s 1985 cookbook yesterday and noticed it is subtitled, “Living the High-Carbohydrate Way.” Of course, we’re still into carbs at our house, but my, how times have changed.

Cheerfulness keeps breaking through

It’s possible that writing about being stuck with post-election stress and sharing our feelings in the comments section of this blog is helping me move on. Or maybe it’s just that the sun poked out through the rain clouds, and the limes in our backyard look glorious.

Like Leonard Cohen, I find that in spite of it all, cheerfulness keeps breaking through.

As I move toward acceptance and begin to rebuild my foundation of what it means to be an American, I expect I’ll have more to say … well .. about everything. Part of me wanted to withdraw from all of it, to be a complete social and political dropout, but I’ve decided not to surrender in advance.

We may be old and unemployed, but our voices matter. And yes, it’s possible to have warm and happy conversations with people who don’t think exactly like us. We must try harder. If all else fails, you can always pour your heart into a journal no one reads but you.

One of my favorite quotes is from the musician Patti Smith. Don’t forget she won the National Book Award, which means she can write, too.

“I’ve survived because I want to live. Even in our troubled world. Even with all the greed and stupidity and terrible things that we’re all facing… I want to be ALIVE. I want to BREATHE. I want to do MY WORK.”

What I’m Reading

I stumbled across a book at the library that combines crime fiction and time travel. It doesn’t get better than that! Wait, yes it does. It’s a series.

The first book is A Rip Through Time by Kelley Armstrong.  A Canadian homicide detective visiting Scotland is attacked and wakes up in another woman’s body … and it’s 1869. She finds herself a housemaid to an undertaker who moonlights as a medical examiner. He’s investigating a murder she believes is connected to her attack, and the story unfolds from there.

It looks like she gets stuck in the past, not that we all don’t, but the good news is there are five more books in the series.

What I’m watching

My PBS Masterpiece subscription is holding up over time. I dabble with other streaming services but end up canceling when a show I like is over. I’m looking at you, Hulu.

I just finished the second season of Ridley, which I liked very much and am hoping for another season soon. It’s a British police procedural with Alex Ridley as a former detective inspector who was forced out due to personal tragedy but brought back as a consultant to solve crimes.

Ridley co-owns a jazz club and usually sings at least once per episode. I thought the singing was weird at first but grew to like it.

Last night I watched the first episode of Van der Valk featuring a detective in Amsterdam. I like it, but there was a gruesome finish, and I’m not sure I’ll last long if that’s the norm. As a back-up plan, I’ve been shopping around for another British show. I may give Annika another try. I like Nicola Walker a lot but am not a fan of “direct address.” I believe that’s the technique used where she talks directly to the audience. Still if no throats are slit, I could get used to it.

What I’m eating

Tonight is leftover baked beans with toast from Dale’s homemade bread. Tomorrow I’m giving the slow cooker another run at it and am making beef and barley soup. I decided to use bone-in beef ribs for the meat and was surprised at how expensive they are – like $15 per pound. But it should make for a great soup with at least two servings for the freezer. And we never go out to eat, so I don’t really worry about it.

For Thanksgiving, Dale will do the turkey. He brines it and then stuffs it with a Maine-style dressing made with potatoes, stale bread and assorted seasoning. I’m known in these parts as Side Dish Mama and will be making green beans almondine, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce. I make the cranberry sauce from the recipe on the back of the bag. Delicious!

Dessert is pumpkin cheesecake with bourbon sour cream topping. And graham cracker crust … an all-time favorite. One whole turkey breast and most of the cheesecake will go to the freezer. Our freezer food is spectacular.

In the meantime, I continue to enjoy my protein smoothies for breakfast or lunch. Here’s my new favorite.

Cherry Chocolate Smoothie

In a high-speed blender mix:

¾ cup milk (I use soy)

1 cup frozen cherries

A glug of maple syrup

A small glug of vanilla extract

A scoop of unflavored protein powder

A shake (maybe a tablespoon) of cacao nibs

Candy. Here. Now go away.

So, Halloween. I used to like it. I don’t know what happened other than a few decades of accumulated grumpiness.

Random people ringing my doorbell at night freaks me out. Hoards of them. Adults, children. And costumes, hiding their devious little faces! I just want to put a big bucket outside with a sign that says, candy. Here. Now go away. Or maybe leave the candy scattered throughout the yard like an Easter egg hunt. That could work. Instead, we turn off the lights and hope for the best.

I also worry about the cat. They are sneaky little guys, and I could see me opening the door and Riley slipping outside for a smoke. We could lock him up somewhere upstairs, but that doesn’t seem right. It’s his house, too.

Maybe I could watch Young Frankenstein in honor of Teri Garr, who passed away this week. What knockers! That is one of my all-time favorite movies ever. Speaking of Mel Brooks, we watched Spaceballs the other night. Very funny, and I vowed to use the term ludicrous speed at least weekly.

We watched the original Dracula last week. It’s pretty good, but we didn’t make it all the way through. We aim for shlocky movies on pizza night, and the minimum requirement is that it lasts through the pizza.

I never enjoyed horror in fiction or in life, but I’ve come to appreciate what’s sometimes called comedy horror. We lean toward animals gone rogue. The best ones don’t take themselves too seriously and are only marginally gross. While it’s hard to top Zombeavers, I also like Llamageddon, Lavalantula and all the Sharnados.

My knee et all is manageable, so I’m back to golf, etc. I will still see my primary care physician in late November, but in the meantime, I’m trying to think of pain in a new way. It’s a sensory experience emanating from my brain. That’s it. Don’t attach emotions to it – don’t cry why me, don’t worry about what I can or cannot do because of it. It’s just a thing.

To celebrate the arrival of cooler weather, I bought a few new items from Athleta to get me in the spirit of things. I particularly love the Venice High Rise Cargo Jogger. Super- comfy and great pockets! Athleta is not cheap, but for me, the quality and fit is excellent.

Actually, I would like to be an Athleta brand ambassador. I don’t think they have such a thing, particularly if you are old and gray and can’t do yoga, but it’s practically all I wear now that I’m retired. Maybe I could get a discount!

Streaming blues

I said I wouldn’t whine about creaky body parts, so I won’t, but I will share that my problematic knee turned savage, and I’ve been nursing that traitorous wretch back to health. You think you know a knee, and then it pulls something like this.

Physical therapy, or physical tyranny as I’ve been calling it lately, has been life-changing for me, but I’ll be having a heart-to-heart with my guy later today. I give him full credit for helping me strengthen my core and pretty much eliminate lower back pain, but I’m no longer on board with the concept of strengthening my quadricep muscle to fix my knee.

I know that’s the standard, but in my case, lunges and squats do more harm than good. They are dead to me. I’m calling it a farewell to harms.

Fortunately, I’ve had a good book to help me ride out the storm. While crime fiction is my default, I occasionally like to read science fiction and fantasy. The library had Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. It’s about a young woman who attends a brutal war college for dragon riders, and I enjoyed it very much. It’s a trilogy, and I just picked up the second one from the library. The third comes out this month, I think.

And so I find myself with the streaming blues. I love the choices available these days, but I hate burning through a show only to find it’s the end of the season, and there are no assurances there will be another one. All that emotional investment, and then it’s wait and see.

Still, I’m weak and continue to watch, even though I know I’ll soon be left high and dry. I’m mostly thinking of Hulu and The Old Man with Jeff Bridges. I have one more episode, and then who knows? Next year, maybe? The show is based on the The Old Man by Thomas Perry. He’s a prolific writer. I really loved his Jane Whitefield series and highly recommend them. The first one is Vanishing Act.

I also burned through some of my PBS shows, including Hotel Portofino. I need to stop around for a new one over there.

Back to Hulu. I liked Shogun, which is a limited series. How great, I thought, that I don’t have to wait for new seasons. I thought the finale was just perfect and was at peace with it being over. Then I went online to read more about the actors, only to discover the show has been such a success they plan to produce one or even two more seasons. That just pisses me off.  They’ve already killed off my favorite character, so I’m kind of over it.

The bright side is there’s almost always something around the bend. Season 3 of The Lincoln Lawyer drops Oct. 17 on Amazon Prime. That show is based on Mickey Haller books by Michael Connelly. Speaking of Michael Connelly books, The Waiting, featuring Harry Bosch and Renée Ballard, is out Oct. 15! I’m pretty sure I’ll end up buying that one.

The weather has finally turned cooler, so I’m starting to get excited about fall foods. I adore pumpkin, especially in savory dishes, and I have a boatload of recipes I’ve been saving. It’s a matter of choosing which one. Some recipes call for fresh pumpkin or butternut squash, and others use canned pumpkin. I’m actually a big fan of canned pumpkin, but I’m good with any of the above.

Dale wants to make chili. The question is beef or chili verde with pork. Both are spectacular. He is of the opinion that beans do not belong in chili. He also uses stew meat – nothing ground.

Our election ballots arrived in the mail, so that’s on the docket. I’m quite nervous about the whole thing, but I still have hope Kamala can pull it off. I simply can’t understand how it can even be close. If you haven’t checked out my one-pager about Trump’s shameful pattern of disrespect for the military, you can find it here.

The sound of silence

Although I did not watch the debate, I read about it this morning. Trump’s lies and Biden’s lackluster performance did not make me regret my decision. It doesn’t look good for Biden, but I’m still hopeful the American people will not see fit to put a monster like Trump back in office.

I know some very kind and intelligent people who are Trump supporters. Once we learned where everyone stands, we quit talking about it to preserve the peace. At first blush, silence sounds like a poor solution, but you know, it’s not all bad.

When we were younger and actually had friends, we seldom discussed politics. We were more into partying back then, and most get-togethers focused on food, drink, music, travel and sports. I can’t remember even thinking about how someone might have voted. Seems kind of quaint now.

That’s the brighter side of being a party animal. Now we’re crusty old homebodies with deep dark thoughts about the future of democracy. Not sure that’s an improvement, but it’s easier on the liver.

Anyway, life is good beyond worrying about things I can’t control. My exercises have gotten quite robust, and I’ve split them up so on any given day I’m only doing half of them. Most body parts are cooperating with the new regime, but my left knee is part of the resistance. Some of my newer exercises strengthen the quadricep, and that will theoretically help the knee.

Because the knee bone’s connected to the thigh bone …

All of it has improved my golf game, and it has been fun to play well. Our four-woman team kicked butt in the Hawaiian-themed event. It was almost surreal. We all showed up in our matching outfits but forgot to take a picture! I said, well, it’s hard to be good and cute. One of the women, a younger golfer who has a great game and a bit of swagger said, actually, it’s not.

Loved that! If I ever had swagger, I think I lost it sometime in the 90s.

July is looking to be a hot one .. a good time to tune out political rants, savor the sound of silence and hunker down with a good book. I loved Clete, the new James Lee Burke novel featuring Dave Robicheaux, although this one is told through the voice of his sidekick, Clete. Hence the name. I’ve read all the books in the series, and this is one of my favorites.

I’m currently reading A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon by Kevin Fedarko. It’s a grand adventure story, hilarious and chock-full of interesting information about the Grand Canyon. The author also wrote The Emerald Mile, which is thoroughly entertaining account of a speed run down the Colorado River in a dory boat. That book also has a great historical perspective.

Next up is Randy Wayne White’s One Deadly Eye featuring marine biologist and ex-NSA agent Doc Ford of Sanibel Island. I’ve read all in the series, and they are always a treat.  

Happy reading!

Uncoupling for a few days

After my big spiel about staying safe in the heat, it got beastly hot, and I played a rough 18 holes of golf. I got away with it, mostly because I used all my gear, including a solar umbrella, a battery-operated fan, a spray bottle of water, a cool towel and tons of fluids. That said, I felt weak and dizzy, and I should have stopped. 

I spent the next day resting and guzzling more fluids, and I felt OK after that. I vowed to be more careful going forward. Theoretically, I should be getting smarter about this stuff.

Shortly after, I went to Santa Cruz for a few days of golf with the girls. Quite the opposite weather on the coast. Dag, it was cold! But I was prepared. My knit cap and windbreaker were coveted by many. I did my best to keep up with my exercises but some require resistance bands and weights, and that just seemed like a bridge too far.

We played golf three days in a row, which is unusual for me. I wasn’t sure how my body would hold up, but I didn’t experience any pain at all and am pretty happy about that. I do think the strengthening exercises are helping in lots of different ways.

I’ve never been a big fan of cherries, but one of the women brought a bag for the trip, and they were delicious. I bought more at the farmers market today and made a smoothie with almond milk, cherries and almond butter. Yum. The tomatoes aren’t ready yet, but we can’t wait. That’s a whole season’s worth of happiness.

On the reading front, I highly recommend Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy. It’s a short novel about a lonely old woman who befriends a mouse. Just a great little story that will leave you feeling good.

The mouse in the book is very sweet, and he inspired me to have a talk with our cat about his demeanor. Riley was a rescue, but he’s been with us for, gosh, I don’t know, eight years? He still acts like we’re trying to kill him.

I asked Riley to be a little more loving. He won’t get on the bed to say hi, but I guess that’s not all bad. He’ll get in Dale’s lap once in a blue moon but not mine ever. He’s longhaired, and I groom him, and he doesn’t make a fuss. All in all, Riley is a good boy, and he’ll let me pick him up and smooch him. Uses his box. Doesn’t scratch stuff. Pukes now and again, but who doesn’t?

The book also made me think about vegetarianism. If you have an animal companion and wouldn’t think of eating him, why is your little friend more special than other animals you gladly consume?  I enjoy meat, but I could see life without it. However, I wouldn’t give up cheese unless it was a life-or-death situation.

Dale and I frequently throw that out for discussion – which would you rather give up? Meat or cheese? Easy for me. Meat. He’s a cheesehead like me but more of a carnivore and definitely on the fence.

We drive each other crazy much of the time, but Dale is still my favorite person, and he says I’m still his. However, I believe breaks are good for relationships, and we haven’t had many of those since I retired. Togetherness can be too much of a good thing. This time, I was gone four nights, and it was a nice vacation from each other.

As your official retirement confidant, I would definitely recommend retired couples periodically schedule solo trips.

I had a great time in Santa Cruz, but I’m glad to be home hanging out with Dale. It might be my imagination, but I think Riley is happy the family is back together again. Maybe that little talk we had did some good.

Spring … so cruel

Once again, the bitter disappointment of spring is upon us. I hate that you get these beautiful warm days only to have it foul up again with rain and cold. Yes, I know that is the nature of spring and weather in general, but I think fall does a better job as a season. Much more gradual and consistent.

Still, last year I made a conscious effort to fully embrace the diversity of weather, so welcome, rain and cold. You rotten bastards.

We’re doing dinner Triple O or OOO (On Our Own), For Dale, that always means my homemade tacos from the freezer. My tacos are fried crispy, and Dale does a fantastic job of resuscitating them. I won’t make new ones until the freezer stash is gone, so he’s motivated.

I mix it up, but tonight I decided to eat my last piece of birthday lasagna. That’s from September! While I was rooting around in the freezer, I saw two sad and lonely pieces of my birthday cake, so I pulled out one of those for good measure. A little rain and cold deserves coconut layer cake. For breakfast.

While we’re on the topic of food, Dale corned a beef brisket. The first night we ate it boiled with potatoes, carrots, onions and cabbage. The second night he made Reuben sandwiches on his homemade rye bread, which by the way, makes delicious toast in the morning.

Sometimes I like rye toast with just butter, and sometimes I add a little bitter orange marmalade. Dale thinks it’s weird that I use both butter and marmalade, but I think it’s a great combination! Peanut butter is also good on rye, but for some reason, I don’t like peanut butter on sourdough.

Since many bloggers report on Thankful Thursday, I will share that I’m grateful we’re both obsessed with food and cooking. Aside from eating exceptionally well, I also believe cooking at home most of the time makes for healthy aging. I rarely eat any kind of processed or packaged food, and it’s my contention eating reasonably “clean” helps with weight management. I know it’s different for everyone, but that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.

I had my first-ever facial this week! I liked it very much and plan to go every six weeks or so to see if it makes a difference. I’m low-maintenance when it comes to beauty routines, and Tammy, the esthetician, totally got that. I said I’m not looking to get any younger, but I’d like to keep my skin looking reasonably good as I age.

She used very light microdermabrasion as part of the facial, and my skin tone definitely looks more even – lighter dark spots, less red. My skin also looks brighter and feels moisturized.

Tammy didn’t push products. She thought my CeraVe stuff from the drugstore was fine. The only thing I purchased was a bottle of Vitamin C serum. That goes under the sunscreen in the morning. She gave me a bag full of samples to try. One is a tinted sunscreen. I used that yesterday for golf, and aside from the sun protection, I liked how it made my skin look.

On the aches and pains front, I’ve decided to cut back on the rhetoric. As I was getting out of the car for golf yesterday, possibly grunting and groaning, one of the women who also deals with sciatica was getting out of her car. We’ve often compared notes. She said, “How are you?” And I said, “Hanging in there …” I’m not sure if I was going to elaborate or not, but she quickly said GREAT! and exited the scene at a high rate of speed.

I think that was a message to find something else to talk about.

On the entertainment front, I read March Violets, the first book in the Bernie Gunther series by Philip Kerr. Bernie is a detective in 1936 Berlin. The writing is quite sharp with that sassy hard-boiled dialogue we often associate with crime writers from that era – Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammet, etc.  

Anyway, I liked it a lot, but that Hitler stuff is pretty depressing. Not to go all political on you, but I do feel Fascism is a real threat these days, and not just in the U.S. So, I have to decide if I want to continue with the books. I also finally read All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. Set during World War II, there’s also a fair amount of Nazi bullshit in there, but for some reason, it didn’t bother me as much in this novel.

Next on the reading docket are all the novels of Dashiell Hammet. Conveniently, they’re relatively short and all compiled into one book. I’ve probably read them all at some point, but I’m refreshing my memory before I watch Monsieur Spade.

When I first retired, I had a hard time reading during the day, but now I’m a pro. I still won’t watch TV during the day, though. I burned through all my favorite shows on PBS Masterpiece, and I’m currently back to Netflix with Resident Alien, a hilarious but kind of dark show about an alien who is sent to Earth to kill everyone, but it all goes terribly wrong.

When chiro doesn’t cut it

If you’ve been looking for a blog post from me, you’ll need to hack into my computer and search the trash, because that’s where everything I write ends up. I just can’t seem to get my shit act together.

In health news, my sciatica flare-up is now behind me. I’m still doing a lot of different stretches and strengthening exercises, and I believe they’re keeping me upright, but I probably need professional help. Seems like Dale said that, but I don’t think he was talking about my back.

A golf friend said she sees a chiropractor weekly, Medicare pays for it and she no longer has sciatica. I’ve always been afraid of chiro, but I made an appointment for an evaluation and took along the MRI of my back. I really liked the doctor, however, he read through the MRI report and said spinal manipulation probably won’t help me and could make it worse.

Rejected! I didn’t think chiropractors turned anyone away.

For you medical nerds, he said the reason for turning me down is the severe stenosis at L4-L5. I appreciated his honesty. He said massages and exercises that address muscles and tissue are good, so I asked my doctor for a referral to physical therapy. I think I’m already on the right track there, but a little fine-tuning seems appropriate at this point. That starts next week.

I’ve been reading a good bit, and it’s not all crime fiction! The list includes:

The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles. I liked it a lot, but damn, that ending was not what I expected.

An Honest Man by Michael Koryta. After discovering seven men murdered aboard their yacht off the coast of Maine – our protagonist Israel Pike is regarded as a prime suspect. Let’s just say he has a troubled past. Highly recommended.

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon. It’s 1789, and a badass midwife in Maine takes on accused rapists, one of whom has been found dead. Or was he murdered? I loved this book!

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessell van der Kolk. This book turned out to be a bit wonky with lots of science and research, but I would consider it a must-read for trauma survivors. Having been raised by wolves, it helped me understand a lot about my own issues.

The Exchange: After the Firm by John Grisham. It was nice to revisit the McDeere’s, but I was a bit disappointed. The storyline wasn’t all that believable, and I think he missed some opportunities to add an unexpected twist or two.

Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See. Based on a real person, this work of historical fiction tells the story of a girl in 1400s China who becomes a doctor. I enjoy anything by Lisa See, and this one did not disappoint. But man, that foot-binding is some bad shit. And eunichs! Lot of wrong going on there.

Now that I’ve branched out a bit, I’m thinking of trying science fiction again. High on my list is Dune, which we have at home in paperback. I asked Dale if he thought I could get through it, and he said yes, if I can keep track of the characters.

Well, that’s easier said than done.

In another important retirement development, Dale and I settled our argument regarding crumbs on the floor and the process for removing them. He used to think they disappeared by magic, but he now understands a vacuum cleaner is involved. And I do not have a vacuum cleaner attached to my hand.

To make everything easy-peasy, we sprung for a Dyson cordless stick vacuum and put it in a place with easy access for quick clean-ups. Now, everyone can participate in the vacuuming of crumbs!

The repair crew

Nice easy walks and gentle swims … you’d think I was fully recovered from overdoing it a bit in January. However, just when I thought all my body parts were working in harmony, out of the clear blue of the western sky comes excruciating knee pain that brought all my good efforts to a halt.

After a few days of rest, heat, ice, Tylenol and Advil, it seems to be fine. I did a short test walk yesterday and a slightly longer test walk today, and so far, so good. But still, I’ve been exercising regularly for 50 years, and it shocks me how quickly things can go wrong.

When I complained to my husband about the pain, he said, “Ah, yes. The repair crew.”

Sometimes the guy is genius. When something hurts, and I start to feel sorry for myself, I think, calm down. It’s just the repair crew, and I am in need of repairs. They’re trying to fix this mess. Certainly, there are many ways to cope with pain, and I suspect most of us will dabble in those dark arts more and more as we age.

Growing older is not easy, but let’s consider ourselves lucky if we can get through it in reasonably good cheer and enjoy the time that is given to us.

Interestingly, I just finished a fantastic book that explores the possibilities of navigating adversity with dignity, grace and humor … so maybe some of it rubbed off on me. Historical fiction at its finest, “A Gentleman in Moscow” by Amor Towles tells the story of Count Alexander Rostov, a Russian aristocrat living under house arrest in a luxury hotel for 30 years.

One of my favorite passages (and there are many) is when a friend talks to him about wanting to leave Russia and experience the conveniences of modern life. Count Rostov replies:

I’ll tell you what is convenient. To sleep until noon and have someone bring you your breakfast on a tray. To cancel an appointment at the very last minute. To keep a carriage waiting at the door of one party, so that on a moment’s notice it can whisk you away to another. To sidestep marriage in your youth and put off having children altogether. These are the greatest of conveniences, Anushka — and at one time, I had them all. But in the end, it has been the inconveniences that have mattered to me most.

I loved this book. It’s literary without being too fancy-pants. Just a fantastic story in a spectacular setting with great characters and thoughts and ideas that might haunt (or inspire) you for decades. If you should be so fortunate.

In other news, rain, rain and more rain. And so one’s thoughts turn to food. Dale roasted a chicken earlier in the week. I’m making stock out of the carcass, and he’s making chicken tortilla soup with the leftover meat. His soup is tomato-based, and then we top it with fried tortilla strips, crumbled queso fresco, chunks of avocado, chopped cilantro and a squirt of fresh lime.

Tomorrow I’m making venison meatloaf, sour cream and chive mashed potatoes and asparagus. I haven’t decided if I’ll roast or steam the asparagus.

I also took my sourdough starter out of the fridge to get him ready for bread. I just need to feed him for a couple of days, and then he’s good to go. I started him at the beginning of the pandemic and named him Gollum because I wasn’t sure this would work out, and I was reminded of Gandalf’s line from the movie, Lord of the Rings.

My heart tells me that Gollum has some part to play, for good or ill, before this is over.

Luckily, Gollum has performed admirably. I was thinking of some sort of stew to go with the bread. Although, meatloaf sandwiches don’t make me mad.

Something lost, something gained

I dreamed last night Tiger Woods was at a big event planning to introduce me as his new girlfriend. I was wearing a skimpy gold workout outfit, and I looked hot. Except I was still old, and people were kind of noticing that, wondering about Tiger’s choice. He was about to explain when I woke up.

That was probably for the best. Some things you just don’t need to know.

Although I didn’t watch the Grammys, I’ve watched replay after replay of 80-year-old Joni Mitchell singing Both Sides Now and a graying Tracy Chapman performing Fast Car with Luke Combs. Kind of noticing they are getting older, and in a good way.

Both Sides Now speaks to me about youthful optimism, wisdom and regret. What a song, and she was so young when she wrote it. How did she know? I think my favorite line is, “Well, something’s lost, but something’s gained in living every day.”

Aging has it challenges, but you know, it’s not all bad. As for me, I’ve lost a lot of my fearlessness, but I honestly don’t want it back. Sometimes it was hard to keep up with myself. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve gained a (mostly) quieter mind and am happy with less.

Joni and Tracy inspired me to charge up my ear buds and listen to music when I walked today. Lately, I haven’t bothered, but then I think about stuff the whole time, and no good can come of that. But today I came home singing along to Papa was a Rolling Stone, and that’s better than coming home pissed off about one thing or another. So many things to choose from.

Rain is good, I get that, but it gets old. I’ve gotten to where I don’t mind walking in light rain, but golf is a different story. It sucks to get all your gear wet, and the course is a muddy mess right now. Not much golf going on, except in my dreams.

Math is not my strong suit, so I’ve always avoided Sudoku, but atmospheric rivers will make you do crazy things. And, actually, Sudoku isn’t based on any learned math as far as I can tell, even though numbers are involved. For me, it’s more about patterns and logic.

Anyway, I’m actually quite pleased with my progress and can now do a medium difficulty puzzle in 30-45 minutes. A hard one takes me an hour, and I usually have to guess at least once. My goal is no guesses. I’ve learned some solving techniques including the tricksy hidden pairs and hidden triples, but try as I might, there other strategies I don’t yet understand.

I’ve been looking at books on Amazon, but I can see where that might be a slippery slope. I guess I want one book to rule them all, and I’m not sure which one to get. Any recommendations?